Will Ajax’s European heroes triumph at home?
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Latest odds for the tight Eredivisie title race
Ajax took a big step towards the Champions League final with a 1-0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur in their semi-final first leg on Tuesday.
The Dutch side have been a revelation in Europe this term, blowing away Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the last four with scintillating football.
However, while Erik ten Hag’s young side are conquering the continent, they could still finish empty-handed at home.
They only lead PSV on goal difference at the top of the Eredivisie with just two games to play. And they take on Willem II in the KNVB Cup final on Sunday.
We’ve taken a look at their chances of domestic glory…
Will they end their wait for the title?
Ajax have won more Eredivisie titles than any other club (33), but they’ve now gone five years without finishing on top.
They face Utrecht and relegation-threatened De Graafschap in their remaining matches and our traders have them as 2/7 favourites.
If Ajax win both of those fixtures, it should be enough. They’re 10 ahead in terms of goal difference and it’s hard to see PSV making that gap up, especially without the injured Hirving Lozano. The Eindhoven side are 5/2 to defend the title.
How about the cup?
The Amsterdam-based club are also the most successful side in the history of the KNVB Cup with 18 wins. But they’ve not lifted this trophy for a while either, going back to 2010.
Ten Hag’s team are clear 2/7 favourites to win on Sunday, but they may have an eye on next week’s Champions League clash with Spurs.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few regulars rested, though Ajax can’t afford to be complacent.
There’s 9/1 about a Willem II win, though they’ll be desperate to win their first major domestic trophy since 1963.
How far can this team go?
It seems likely that this remarkable side will soon be broken up. Frenkie de Jong has already tied up a move to Barcelona this summer, with club captain Matthijs likely to join one of Europe’s giants too.
There’ll be plenty of interest in David Neres, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek, plus a few more, as well.
But this group of players now has the chance to emulate the class of 1995 while they’re still together. The likes of Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars came through the ranks and took the club to European glory under Louis van Gaal.
The current crop are 11/4 to win the Champions League this season. If they beat Spurs, they’ll face either Barcelona or Liverpool in Madrid for the final. Both of those sides have bigger stars and budgets, but Ajax have shown they can outplay anyone in this year’s competition.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
